Six contests in, Panther women’s tennis is a perfect 6-0.
After 9-0 wins in their first match with Tuscola and an Aug. 31 double-header with East Henderson, Heather Bell’s team entered their third week of the season having won all 27 of their individual matches. In a flurry of matches with North Henderson, Smoky Mountain and Pisgah, Franklin earned three more shutout victories to control the Mountain Seven Conference.
On Tuesday, Sept. 5, the team traveled to North Henderson for a meeting with the Knights. There, the match proved not to be much of a contest, with only No. 1 singles player Abigail Angel losing a game. Aside from the junior’s 6-1, 6-0 cruise to victory, junior Kate Phillips (No. 2), senior Laura Holland (No. 3), junior Maci Stork (No. 4), senior Logan Guynn (No. 5) and senior Lydia Holland (No. 6) each blanked their opponents 6-0, 6-0.
Despite the contest’s outcome having already been decided, the rivals nevertheless chose to play its three doubles matches, where Angel/Phillips (No. 1), Holland/Holland (No. 2) and Stork/Guynn (No. 3) each prevailed eight games to none.
The next day, the Panthers returned to the Macon County Rec Park to host Smoky Mountain. There, the Mustangs offered little more resistance than the Knights, with none of Angel (6-1, 6-1), Phillips (6-1, 6-0) nor Laura Holland (6-0, 6-2) losing more than two games in the top three slots. At Nos. 4-5, Stork, Guynn and Lydia Holland each shut out their opponents 6-0, 6-0.
As with the previous day, Franklin played its doubles matches with the contest’s outcome in stone, with Angel and Phillips again winning 8-0. At No. 2, juniors Caroline Deal and Gianna Abbate won 8-1, while sophomores Clara Stork and Marlee Barnes claimed the No. 3 match 8-2.
On Thursday, Sept. 7, the Panthers traveled to Canton to take on 3-1 Pisgah. There, they played the day’s singles matches in a first-to-10-games format, where Angel and Phillips won both of the top two matches 10-1. At No. 3, Laura Holland blanked her opponent 10-0, while none of Stork (10-1), Guynn (10-1) nor Lydia Holland (10-2) dropped more than two games.
In doubles, Angel and Phillips won the No. 1 match 8-1, while Holland/Holland and Stork/Guynn claimed Nos. 2 and 3 8-0.
In routing Pisgah, the Panthers wrapped up their third 9-0 victory in three days, ending a whirlwind week atop the Mountain Seven at 6-0. While winning their first 54 straight matches is a remarkable feat, it’s less surprising for a team that played in the 3A State Semifinals last fall. After losing former All-State senior Alyssa Smith to graduation this summer, the team barely seems to have skipped a beat, with just eight more contests remaining this regular season. Given their early-season success, Bell says she’s been focused on keeping the team grounded.
“While it’s great to have the scores we have been able to post, and the team continues to work hard every day, I challenged them Friday to start defining success in additional ways rather than just scores,” said the team’s head coach. “It’s crucial we do not relax in basic things like quick footwork, clean strokes, smart shot selection and positive mindset on court. The temptation will be to settle in and feel comfortable believing we are reaping the success now, but the goals for this team are so much bigger than the here and now.”
In following up the most successful season in program history last fall, the Panthers have so far exceeded expectations. Ahead of a difficult conference test Sept. 11 at second-place West Henderson (4-1), Bell said the sky’s the limit as to what her team can accomplish.
“This group is such a joy to coach, their work ethic has never been in question, they step up to the plate every time,” she said. “So, the question then becomes about potential. That has been and continues to be the focus, not just the wins. Potential is way more powerful than a score.”